Neck Pain Treatment — Loveland, CO
Neck Pain Isn’t Caused by Sitting Wrong. It’s Caused by Muscles That Have Stopped Working.
Everyone tells you to sit up straight, get a better pillow, and stretch your neck. None of that fixes neck pain that’s been there for months. The real cause is almost always the same: the muscles that are supposed to hold your head up and keep your neck joints in place have stopped doing their job. The stiffness, headaches, and nerve pain down your arm are all the result. One80 finds those muscles and brings them back online.
Conditions we treat
What’s causing your neck pain?
Find your condition below. Whether it’s chronic stiffness, a pinched nerve, or post-accident pain — the root cause is almost always the same set of muscles that have switched off. We identify them and restore them.
General Neck Pain
Your head weighs about 10–12 pounds. Your neck muscles hold it up all day. When the right muscles are doing their job, that’s manageable. When they’re not — specifically when the deep front neck muscles and lower trapezius shut off — the surface muscles of your neck and upper shoulders have to do everything. They get tight, overloaded, and eventually painful.
This is why your neck feels like a rock, why you get headaches, and why it keeps tightening back up no matter how often you stretch or get a massage. When the right muscles are supporting your head and neck again, the surface muscles let go — not because we stretched them, but because they’re no longer doing the whole job themselves. Most neck pain cases at One80 resolve in 3–5 visits.
Cervical Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve in Neck)
Pain, numbness, or tingling shooting from your neck down your shoulder and into your arm — that’s a cervical nerve being compressed. Usually by a bulging disc or a bony spur that’s grown into the space where the nerve exits the spine. The disc bulged or the bone changed because the muscles holding that part of your neck in position weren’t supporting it correctly.
We restore the deep stabilizing muscles of the neck so the spine holds its correct position and stops pressing on the nerve. In many cases, removing that abnormal pressure is enough to resolve the arm symptoms entirely — without injections or surgery. Numbness that has been present for months can resolve once the nerve compression is removed.
Whiplash
During a whiplash injury, your head snaps back and forward faster than your muscles can react. The deep muscles of the front of your neck get overwhelmed and — after the injury — they often stop working properly. When those deep muscles stay shut off, the surface muscles take over. They get chronically overloaded and tight, producing stiffness, headaches, jaw tension, shoulder pain, and sometimes brain fog or dizziness.
Rest, a soft collar, and pain medication don’t restore the deep muscles. They let the surface muscles lock everything down further. We specifically assess and restore the deep cervical flexors and stabilizers that were disrupted by the injury. When those come back online, the whole chain of whiplash symptoms starts to resolve — even years after the accident.
Why One80 PT gets neck results when other clinics don’t
Most neck PT gives you traction, ultrasound, and cervical exercises. One80 starts with the deep cervical flexors and lower trap — the muscles that are supposed to be supporting your head. Most patients have never had these muscles specifically assessed. Once they’re restored, the surface muscles release and the neck functions correctly for the first time in months or years.
We serve patients from Loveland, Fort Collins, Berthoud, Windsor, Timnath, and across Northern Colorado. One therapist. One patient. Every visit.
Common questions about neck pain
I wake up with a stiff neck almost every day. What’s causing that?
Morning stiffness is usually a sign that the deep neck stabilizers aren’t providing proper support while you sleep. Fix the muscle pattern during the day and night symptoms typically follow.
My arm has been numb for months. Is that still fixable?
Often yes. Numbness that has been present for months can resolve once the nerve compression is removed — though complete recovery of sensation may take time as the nerve heals. The key is removing the cause of the compression as soon as possible.
I had a car accident 2 years ago and my neck still hurts. Is it too late?
No. Chronic post-whiplash pain is the direct result of unresolved deep muscle inhibition. We have helped patients years after their accident achieve significant improvement — because the underlying muscle problem can still be addressed regardless of how long it’s been present.
Do you treat neck pain in Fort Collins and surrounding areas?
Yes. One80 Physical Therapy is located in Loveland, CO and serves patients from Fort Collins, Berthoud, Windsor, Timnath, and across Northern Colorado.
Ready to find out why your neck really hurts?
Call (970) 593-9300 or book your free consultation.
One therapist. One patient. Results on your first visit — guaranteed.